Excel Freezes on Mac | How to Recover Excel Files on Mac [Including macOS Monterey]

Are you dealing with the issue of Excel freezing on Mac while using macOS Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma? Enumerating all the reasons for the Excel app or a particular workbook to crash can be challenging, but the troubleshooting steps are almost the same. Here, we're discussing situations where Excel freezes, as opposed to it crashing altogether.

In this article, we will show you how to fix Excel freezing on Mac and how to recover a frozen Excel file without losing your data! Keep reading.

Why is Excel freezing on my Mac?

Excel for Mac may suddenly stop working, and its window freeze and become unresponsive when you < ahref="/mac-file-recovery/cut-and-paste-files-mac.html">cut and paste files, save an Excel file, delete rows or columns, undo changes, or load a new Excel file on your Mac.

Excel for Mac freezing can happen without any apparent reason, and any action could cause the program to freeze, sometimes indefinitely, unless you force restart your MacBook.

There can be numerous reasons behind this issue, which also lead to MacBook Air frozen, insufficient storage on your Mac, outdated software, virus attack, and more. Before you fix the Excel freezing issue on Mac, it is recommended to back up your Excel file to prevent data loss.

Restore a Frozen Excel File on a Mac

Can you recover a frozen Excel file on Mac? We would like to recommend a powerful and trustworthy Excel file recovery tool – tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro. This tool can recover various types of files in different situations, including when you accidentally clicked "Don't Save" on an Excel file on your Mac.

With file recovery software on Mac, you can recover unsaved Excel files. Follow these steps:

Note: You can first click "Disk Backup" on the left to create a backup. The software will recover the document from the backup image. This prevents further damage to your disk and data, making the operation safer and more reliable.

Step 1: Scan the Lost Document

Select the location where your important Word/Excel/PPT/Numbers/Pages document was lost, and then click “Search Lost Files”.

Select a location and scan for lost files on your Mac

Step 2: Look for the Lost Document on Your Mac

The “Mac Data Recovery Wizard” will immediately scan the selected disk volume. The scan results will be displayed in the left pane. Select “Documents” and quickly filter out previously lost DOC/PDF/PPT/XLS files.

Step 3: Recover Lost/Deleted Documents

Select the files you wish to recover, preview them by double-clicking, and then click the “Recover” button to instantly get your lost files back.

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How to Fix Frozen Excel on a Mac

Excel freezing on Mac is a very frustrating issue, leaving you with no choice but to wait for it to recover or force quit. Here are 5 practical solutions to fix this problem:

Solution 1: Restart your Mac

Many minor issues caused by either settings or hardware faults can be resolved by restarting or Force Restarting your Mac.

Step 1: Click the Apple icon in the top menu bar of your screen.

Step 2. Click “Restart” to reboot your Mac and see if Excel is now working normally.

Solution 2: Open the Excel app in Safe Mode on your Mac

You can try opening the Excel app in Mac Safe Mode to check for any errors and use file recovery utilities to repair a corrupted Excel file. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Turn off your Mac, and then press the power button to restart it.

Step 2: Hold down the "Shift" key as the Apple logo appears. Release it when you see the login window.

Step 3. Launch Excel in Safe Mode on your Mac to check if the issue persists.

Solution 3: Reinstall and Update the Excel Application

If the above solutions don't help much with fixing Excel freezing, consider uninstalling the app and downloading it again from the App Store or the official Microsoft website. This might be due to a glitch in the program causing it to freeze.

Fix 4: Free Up Mac Storage Space

If you've installed the latest version of Excel from a reliable source, and you're sure that your Mac isn't experiencing any hardware issues, but Excel still keeps freezing, it might be because your Mac doesn't have enough storage space.

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Fix 5: Reinstall or update macOS

If none of the above work, you may need to update your system. It's possible that your system doesn't support the version of Excel you're trying to change. You can try reinstalling macOS or updating your Mac. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Click on “System Settings” and then “Software Update.”

<b>Step 2:</b> Click “Check for Updates.”

Step 3: Click Upgrade Now to update your Mac. You can enable "Automatically keep my Mac up to date."

Last Words

This article outlines five possible solutions to fix the Excel freezing issue on your Mac: opening Excel in Safe Mode, reinstalling Excel, restarting your Mac, freeing up space on your Mac, and updating macOS.

To avoid losing data during the fix, first install the tool Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro to recover the frozen Excel file.

"Frequently Asked Questions about Freezing Issues in Excel on Mac"

Below are some queries people also search for when fixing the Excel freezing issue on their Mac. Check them out!

**1. How to fix unresponsive Excel on Mac?** If you encounter an unresponsive Excel on your Mac, try these troubleshooting steps: 1. **Force Quit Excel:** - Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select "Force Quit." - In the window that appears, find Microsoft Excel, then click "Force Quit." 2. **Clear caches and temporary files:** - Close all Excel documents and exit the program. - Open Finder, then navigate to the "Library" folder (if not visible in the sidebar, go to the Finder's top menu, choose "Go" > "Go to Folder," and enter " ~/Library"). - Enter the "Application Support" folder, and find the "Microsoft Office" or "Microsoft" folder. - Delete the "Preferences" and "TemporaryItems" folders within the "Excel" folder. - Restart Excel. 3. **Check for updates:** - Make sure your Microsoft Office is up to date. Open the "Microsoft Store," click the account icon in the top-right corner, and select "Check for Updates." 4. **Repair Office applications:** - Open the "Applications" folder and locate "Microsoft Office." - Right-click on Excel, and choose "Show Package Contents." - Navigate to "Contents" > "Resources." - Double-click to run "Microsoft Office Diagnostics." - Follow the diagnostic tool's instructions. 5. **Reset Excel preferences:** - Backup your files in case you need to restore them. - In Finder, go to "Library" > "Application Support" > "Microsoft Office." - Move the "Preferences" folder to your desktop or delete it. - Restart Excel, which will create new preference settings. 6. **Check for conflicting apps or add-ins:** - Start Excel in Safe Mode (hold down the Option key while launching Excel from the Dock). - If Excel works fine in Safe Mode, there might be a conflict with another app or add-in. Disable add-ins one by one to identify the culprit. If none of these solutions work, consider contacting Microsoft support or reinstalling Office.

If your Excel program becomes unresponsive, don't worry; you can force it to quit by pressing "Option + Command + ESC." However, be cautious as you may lose data if you haven't saved the edited Excel file before quitting. In such a scenario, it's advisable to use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro tool to retrieve unsaved Excel files.

2. How to fix freezing issues when Excel is not responding?

Here are five effective ways to address freezing issues with the Excel application: 1. **Force quit and restart**: Press `Ctrl + Alt + Del`, select "Task Manager," find the Excel process, and click "End Task." Restart Excel afterward. 2. **Save and close all workbooks**: Try saving all open workbooks and then closing them. Sometimes, a specific workbook might be causing Excel to freeze. 3. **Use the "Excel File Repair" tool**: In the "Control Panel," locate the "Recovery" option, choose the Excel file you want to repair, and follow the on-screen instructions. 4. **Update or reinstall Office**: Make sure your Office version is up-to-date. If not, visit the Microsoft website to download and install the latest updates. If the issue persists, uninstall Office and reinstall it. 5. **Check compatibility issues**: If the Excel file you're using was created in an older version, try opening it in "Compatibility Mode" or update all relevant add-ins and macros to ensure compatibility. These methods typically help resolve most Excel application unresponsiveness issues. If the problem continues, you might need more advanced technical support.

• Restart your Mac
• Open Excel in Safe Mode on your Mac
• Reinstall the Excel app
• Clean up storage on your Mac
• Reinstall or update your Mac